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Mate in 1 Puzzles from the Caro–Kann Defence

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 856 · solved 9,728,038 times

Opening: Caro–Kann Defence

These mate in 1 puzzles were set in games that began as the Caro–Kann Defence: 19,942 puzzles, median rating 856, solved 9,728,038 times. The twelve below are among the most-solved of them; try each on the board, then read the numbers further down to see how the solutions are built.

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By the numbers

mate in 1 puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games: the numbers

There are 19,942 mate in 1 puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games, solved 9,728,038 times in total. The median rating is 856.

How hard are they?

Foundation
17,344 · 87%
Developing
2,254 · 11.3%
Challenging
339 · 1.7%
Advanced
5 · 0%

Often combined with

Checkmate · 19,942Middlegame tactics · 14,762Kingside attack · 5,312Opening tactics · 5,027Attacks on f2 / f7 · 1,721Smothered mate · 855Hanging piece · 664Pin · 640Queenside attack · 505Boden's mate · 317

Which openings produce them?

Caro–Kann Defence · 19,942

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical mate in 1 solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 mate in 1 puzzles from Caro–Kann Defence games (10% of all 19,942).

100% need 1 solver move. Median rating: 853 for the shortest solutions, 853 for the longest.

74.5% open with a queen move. The first move captures in 49.6% and gives check in 100%; 100% end in checkmate, 0% involve a sacrifice, 66.3% have White to move.

49.6%first move captures
100%first move gives check
100%end in checkmate
0%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

1 solver move
100% · median rating 853

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a queen
74.5%
Key move by a knight
11.6%
Key move by a bishop
8.4%
Key move by a rook
5%
Key move by a pawn
0.6%

What does the solver win?

Captures nothing along the line
50.4%
Most valuable capture: pawn
41.3%
Most valuable capture: rook
3.6%
Most valuable capture: knight
2%
Most valuable capture: bishop
1.9%
Most valuable capture: queen
0.7%

Material balance along the whole line, counting every capture by both sides (pawn 1, minor piece 3, rook 5, queen 9):

No material gained (mating or positional)
50.4%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
41.3%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
3.9%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
3.6%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
0.7%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
23.5%
21–27 pieces
74.2%
13–20 pieces
2.4%
12 pieces or fewer
0%

How it is counted: every puzzle in the sample is replayed move by move with a chess rules engine. A sacrifice means a piece that is captured on the very next ply and was worth more than what it captured itself (pawn 1, minor piece 3, rook 5, queen 9). Sample of 2,000 puzzles. Percentages are shares of the sample.

Where it happens

Where the key move lands

Where the solver’s first move ends, drawn from their own side (rank 1 is their back rank). Busiest squares: h7 (29.7%), f7 (16.8%), g7 (7.8%), g6 (5.6%), d8 (4.3%).

1.54.33.61.81.48
12.51.81.916.87.829.77
1.644.11.95.61.96
11.35
4
3
2
1
abcdefgh

Counted from the same 2,000-puzzle sample. Squares under 1% are left blank.

Study positions

The most-solved mate in 1 puzzles, from each difficulty level. Play each one on the board, then open the answer for the full line.

♜♜♚
♟♟♟♟♗
♟♝♟
♘
♙♞
♙♕♛
♙♙♗♙
♖♖♔
Black to move · rating 981 · solved 4,248 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne5

Solution: Qg2#

♜♚
♟♟♟♟♟
♟
♝♙♝
♞♗
♙♗
♙♘♙♙♙
♖♔♖
Black to move · rating 1179 · solved 1,983 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rxd1

Solution: Nc2#

♜♞♝♞♜
♟♟♚♟♟♟
♟
♙♗
♙
♝♙
♙♙♙♙
♔♖♗♘♖
White to move · rating 1197 · solved 2,145 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxc3

Solution: Bd8#

♜♛♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟
♟♗♙♟
♝
♙♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♔♖
White to move · rating 1259 · solved 2,801 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bxf3

Solution: f7#

♜♝♛♜♞
♟♟♝♕
♟♚♟♟
♙♙♘
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♗♖♔
White to move · rating 1266 · solved 2,618 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kd6

Solution: c5#

♜♝♛♞♚♜
♟♟♝♟♟
♟
♗
♙♟♘
♗♕
♙♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 1341 · solved 2,837 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ne8

Solution: Qf7#

♜♞♚♝♜
♟♟♟♟
♟♞
♟♙♟
♛
♔♙♙
♙♙♙♙
♖♘♗♕♗♖
Black to move · rating 1486 · solved 2,387 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kc3

Solution: Qb4#

♜♚♜
♟♟♛♞♟♟
♟♟
♗♘♟
♙
♙♙♙♙♙
♖♕♖♔
Black to move · rating 1628 · solved 998 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nxc5

Solution: Qxh2#

♜♚♜
♟♟♟♟♟
♛♞♟
♟♙♞
♙♝
♘♙♗♘♙
♙♙♝♙
♖♗♕♔♖
Black to move · rating 1672 · solved 854 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: h3

Solution: Ng3#

♜♛♚♝♞♜
♟♟♟♟♟♟
♙♞
♙
♙
♙♗♘♙♙
♖♕♔♗♖
Black to move · rating 1712 · solved 840 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Bb2

Solution: Nxf3#

♜♚♜
♟♟♖♟♝
♟♗♟
♙♙
♛
♝♘
♙♙♙♙
♖♔
White to move · rating 2021 · solved 16,697 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qxg4

Solution: Rf5#

♜♝♚
♟♟♞♟
♛♞♟♜
♟♘♕
♙♙
♙♘
♙♙♙
♖♖♔
White to move · rating 2078 · solved 2,593 times · Mate in 1.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Rh6

Solution: Qe8#

Positions and move sequences come from real rated games (CC0 data). Engine evaluations, where shown, are stored evaluations of the position (CC0).

Same opening, other tactics

More puzzles from the Caro–Kann Defence

Middlegame tacticsCheckmateOpening tacticsKingside attackForkMate in 2Discovered attackPinSacrifice

Same theme, other levels

Mate in 1 puzzles by difficulty

Challenging levelDeveloping levelFoundation level